Belgium and Denmark are to cooperate on the laying of a cable 500km long to allow the two countries to share in each other’s wind energy.
The deal was announced by federal energy minister Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen) while taking part via internet link in an event named ‘Davos Energy Week’.
The idea was Van der Straeten’s own initiative, who went on to approach her Danish counterpart Dan Jørgensen. The two ministers will soon sign a memorandum of understanding.
But the Belgo-Danish cable is just the latest stage in an undersea energy network that has been growing piecemeal since 2018, when a cable between Belgium and the UK came online. That was followed in November last year by a link joining Belgian and German networks.
The 500km cable from Belgium to Denmark, however, is of another order.
“This will be a hybrid project, where electricity can flow in both directions, also connecting the wind farms of both countries,” Van der Straeten said.
“The advantage for our country is that we get access to cheap Danish wind energy. Denmark is world champion for offshore wind energy and Belgium the European number four. Since Denmark has surpluses, and Belgium is reaching its limits due to lack of space, such connections are necessary to achieve our climate goals and also to be able to continue to export our country’s know-how.”
The first step in the memorandum of understanding will be the commissioning of a feasibility study to determine whether the project is technically and financially viable. For comparison, the UK-Belgium link cost €450 million for 140km. A 500km cable with the desired capacity of 1-1.5Gw would cost several times more.